


Perfection

by Chrysalin



Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), F/M, Wished Away
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-07
Updated: 2019-06-07
Packaged: 2020-04-12 02:36:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19122847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chrysalin/pseuds/Chrysalin
Summary: Someone's been interfering in Sarah's life, and she wants to know why. That search for answers takes her back to the Labyrinth to learn what she should have seen long ago.





	Perfection

**Author's Note:**

> I'm moving old works over from Fanfiction, so if this sounds familiar, that's probably why.

Sarah Williams was no fool. No, not a fool at all. Her time in the Labyrinth had taught her many things, a number of hard-earned lessons that carried her through life, particularly when things were getting difficult.

Despite those lessons, her life wasn’t difficult. She finished high school with honors, was accepted to every college she applied for, was valedictorian of her graduating class, and began work. Her acting was immediately praised, and her career built slowly but steadily once she started. First it had been local theatre, small productions. When she wasn’t performing, she took odd jobs to make ends meet. She never had a hard time with her temporary work either. She had been hired on the spot more than once, and she knew at least half of the time there had been more qualified applicants. 

A director who made rounds of local groups saw her in a production of “Wicked”, and she was moved to a popular troupe that travelled the state performing whatever people preferred. The group prided itself on being very versatile. 

Not too much later, a second director noticed Sarah, this one working for a theater in New York City. Sarah accepted the opportunity, since she had learned to take good things that came her way, but it seemed so good as to be untrue. While she had been suspicious for some time, with that it began to form more quickly.

The job in New York was good, and she worked her way through the ranks until she often landed the female lead. It wasn’t Broadway, but it paid well and was a permanent position. Sarah enjoyed New York and often convinced her parents to bring Toby and see her shows. 

It turned out Broadway abruptly experienced a desperate shortage in manpower due to an illness that swept the cast and crew. Sarah’s director recommended her to join the chorus. She agreed, and a few months later she was on stage in a Broadway performance for the first time. From there, it was only logical that she began to move up again, gaining larger and larger parts. 

Saying her life wasn’t difficult was not entirely accurate. It was work, challenging and rewarding, but all in all it seemed far and away to be going too perfectly. Sarah had been fifteen when she learned not to trust what seemed too amazing to be real. Images of the crystal ballroom swirled in her mind, though she often tried to banish them. She’d chosen the mundane world for her brother’s sake, and she wouldn’t change that decision even if given a chance. 

But no, Sarah was not a fool. Small things began to come to her attention as far back as high school. Her stepmother would complain her school project had left glitter in the carpet when she hadn’t used any. Toby would sometimes say something about an owl in his room, or goblins, or bubbles that were just like magic. 

She understood what it meant, though no one else did save perhaps Toby. The goblins were understandable – Sarah had the power to wish upon them, so it was logical that some would be around. Since her brother knew them, they would have no problem with being his friends. They loved to play. The owl and bubbles Toby mentioned, the glitter in her room, those were the elements that gave her pause.

Each suggested the presence of the Goblin King. Sarah refused to believe it at first, couldn’t accept that he would continue to be a presence in her life after what happened. Still, the incidents continued. Her stepmother gave up, saying there was more glitter in her room than carpet. Toby stopped telling his parents about the goblins and bubbles, but he told her with an air of secrecy. She thought he knew what happened when she had wished him away, but she didn’t ask. If he brought it up, Sarah decided she would tell him everything, but she saw no reason to discuss it before then. 

She knew he had been in her house, but it wasn’t until she began to notice that the timing of the glitter marking his presence coincided with good things that her vague ideas began to take form. She even asked Hoggle once, wanting to know if the king had been interfering, but he seemed uncomfortable. She let it go. If it was Jareth, he would let her know his purpose in the end, and there was no point in turning down the gifts she was receiving. 

However, there was one aspect in her life that seemed the exact opposite of perfect. Since she was fifteen, any guy she was even remotely interested in or who was interested in her had abruptly left with a variety of excuses. Some came down ill, others would randomly be moved to the other side of the country. Most of the time Sarah didn’t mind, but it had become more and more annoying as she got older. 

The Goblin King was behind it, she knew he was. One who seemed to go quite mad had babbled something about crazed little monsters before his parents had committed him to the nearest mental hospital. Goblins, she assumed, maybe with the pink Nippers she’d seen them carrying in the Labyrinth. 

But now, Jareth had gone too far. Before, she had forgiven him easily enough – the men she had been thinking of dating had proven to be jerks, or not at all a type that would agree with her. But today, no. She’d finally met a great guy she liked and who liked her too. His name was Greg, he was handsome and smart and caring, and he loved fantasy, which to her was huge. 

It appeared that the Goblin King hadn’t been pleased. Every day, Greg came to rehearsal looking as though he hadn’t slept at all, and he avoided her as much as he could even when they were supposed to be sharing a stage. 

She growled and hurled a pillow at the wall. It didn’t matter that she was twenty-five and most of the time a mature adult. She was annoyed and more than ready to go a few rounds with the Fae in question. 

“I wish the Goblin King would be here, right now!” she snapped. She took a step back, waiting for the normal melodrama of lightning, loss of power, and glitter. The display would give her a chance to put her thoughts in order so she would be primed for the fight. 

He seemed determined not to oblige her. A matter of seconds later he appeared, silently but oh so close. There couldn’t have been more than a scant handful of inches between their bodies, and he was wearing one of his classical wicked smirks. 

“You bellowed, precious?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Goblin King…”

He cut her off suddenly, swooping those last few inches to be flush against her, lowering his mouth to hers and devouring it. She gasped under the tender assault, but as she began to return the gesture Jareth stepped back. 

“You were saying?”

She blinked a few times before scrambling away. He took a step in her direction, but she pointed at him. “You stay where you are!”

“Oh, come now, precious,” he laughed, “surely that isn’t the best you can come up with after summoning me?”

“I – um… Damn it, why did you have to go and do that?!”

“Do what, precisely?” Jareth asked in an innocent tone. “I cannot think of a single action that you would find offensive.”

“You stole my brother!” she shouted. 

He rolled his eyes. “I was referring to the time since my arrival. And before you try to further flay me for that, no, I did not steal your brother. To my knowledge, it is not stealing to take what is offered.”

“But – but – I didn’t mean it!”

“Precious, if you only brought me here to repeat something that was said ten years ago, I am far and away too busy at home to oblige you at the moment.”

She struggled to rein in her wayward thoughts and took a few deep breaths. “No, that’s not why I brought you here. I wanted to talk to you about some things that have happened since I beat your little Labyrinth.”

“Little?” he repeated scathingly. “I will also add that if you desire to slander anything I hold dear, I will be away in a moment.”

She growled again, and he smiled thinly in response. “That’s not it either, and if you stop trying to distract me I’ll be able to say why. I want to know what you think you’re doing, constantly pushing men away from me.”

“Have I done such a thing?” he mused, tapping his riding crop (which Sarah had just realized he was holding) against his leg. “I daresay I cannot recall.”

“Can’t you?” she muttered. “I’m not that dense, Goblin King. The glitter, the goblins, the mysteriously good luck I’ve had – the fact one of the men I had been interested in seemed quite insane yet spoke very rationally about goblins tormenting him. Today was just the last straw.”

He moved away, taking a seat in front of the window. Night was falling, and the beautiful sunset left him a dazzling silhouette. He was dressed casually by his standards, she noted. His typical skintight grey breeches, a loose white poet’s shirt with a black vest. He seemed to be thinking. “You wish to know why,” he said finally. A statement, not a question. “That is something I cannot easily answer.”

“You’re not denying it being your work, though,” Sarah observed. 

“As you said, precious, you are not that dense, and I admit I was careless enough to leave evidence behind. I had not thought you would call me though, and I have no explanation to give you. None that you would believe, at any rate.”

“Is this some sort of revenge for what I did all those years ago? For winning?”

He laughed. “Nothing of the sort. While I cannot claim to be a gracious loser, I would not seek vengeance. I admire you far too much. You are the first I have seen with the determination and love necessary to triumph over my Labyrinth and set their mistakes to rights.”

“Then why can’t you tell me?” she demanded. 

He leaned forward, tapping his fingertips together through the leather of his black gloves. “Words have power, but you would doubt me. Telling you would not be enough to convince you of the truth, if only because you still see me as only the Goblin King who took your baby brother oh so long ago. Even if I were to answer, you would not accept what I had to say. You must see me, all of me, for my words to do any good.”

She thought it over, turning his words in her mind. He had never lied to her exactly, but he could be cunning and tricky. She wouldn’t believe him so easily. “How do I do that?”

He rose and extended one hand in her direction. She stared at it warily. “No trap, Sarah. An invitation. If you are willing to learn, there is only one place you can do so.”

“The Labyrinth,” she guessed.

“The Labyrinth,” he confirmed. “There you discovered just how much you loved your brother, your family. You learned of the unfairness of life and not to take things for granted. You have learned these things well, I am glad to say, save where I am concerned. You take it for granted that I am a villain. Now you must learn once more, learn when to trust. There is no child to rescue, no race against time.”

She took his hand, almost against her will. “You promise?”

“I swear,” he assured her, and then they were on the windswept hill that looked over the vastness of Jareth’s domain. “It is an odd thing for a wisher to come here a second time. It has occurred once or twice, a runner who did not take their lessons to heart and foolishly made the same wish again even when they failed the first time. When you stood here before, you were scared, were you not? But you were excited as well.”

She nodded as she stared out over the great maze, entranced. “Fear and excitement can go hand in hand. I was frightened by the mistake I’d made, scared for my sake and Toby’s. At the same time it was the adventure I had craved. I was walking in a story, in a world that I had only known from a book before.”

“Ah, yes, the book.” She turned and he was cradling the slim red cloth-bound volume. “A dangerous item, but one that had to exist if my world were to continue.”

“I don’t understand.”

“The magical realm falters as belief fails. This book and others like it are true magical items that can open gateways between the worlds for those who have faith. By doing so they will believe even more, and there will be additional support for those of us that inhabit this world,” he explained. He returned his gaze to the small book. “It is a strange thing, to know an item so small can hold the fate of an entire world in its pages. There are other gates, not always books, which hold links to the other kingdoms. This story is the only one to sustain the goblin realm.”

“So the fate of everything here – the Labyrinth, my friends – is in that little book?” she asked quietly. He nodded, and she turned to stare out once more. “Now what? You brought me here, but what’s the next step?”

“Now?” he repeated. He was hovering at her shoulder the same way he had when she’d first arrived so long ago. “There is no set path, Sarah. No time limit, no child. Go where you will, speak to whom you will. When you are ready, find me.”

“How will I know?”

He smiled again, but he looked tired, she realized. As tired as he had in the Escher Room as he struggled to stop her. You starve and near exhaust me. “You will, precious thing. When you are ready, you will know.”

With that he was gone, only swirls of glitter in the breeze marking his exit. She examined the Labyrinth. It was peaceful, she decided. There was no hectic energy, no runner to waylay. All that was going on was the simple acts of day to day living. She descended from her lofty perch, making her way to the walls of the giant living maze. 

It spoke to her, though at first it was a shock. Welcome back, Lady of the Labyrinth.

She spun, searching her surroundings for a speaker, any speaker, but she found none. “Who said that?”

The voice was gentle and calm when it came again. Do not take things for granted, Lady Sarah. You just thought moments ago that this was a living maze. Does it surprise you knowing it is true?

She paused. “No,” she answered. “I never realized you could talk though. And what do you mean, ‘Lady of the Labyrinth’?”

That is one of the things that will become clear with time, the Labyrinth said. Do not fret over it, Lady Sarah. Go, find your friends, find the answers you need. As King Jareth said, there is no hurry. Just open your mind and your heart. Be willing to listen and learn.

Sarah nodded and began on her way. The Labyrinth revealed its gates, but her interest focused on the little dwarf relieving himself in the pond nearby. She flew across the remaining distance as she called him. 

“Sarah?” Hoggle asked suspiciously. “How did you gets here?”

She shrugged. “I called the Goblin King and he brought me. He said there were still things for me to learn here.”

“Didja wish someone away again?” he demanded.

She laughed, shaking her head. “No, of course not. Making that mistake once is enough. This is strictly a social call. Jareth – the king said I could go wherever I like, do whatever I like.”

The dwarf eyed her beadily. She looked like the girl she’d been ten years ago, he decided, though obviously grown up. She was even dressed in almost the same outfit. “What’s he up to?”

Her lips twitched, but she managed to suppress the laughter rising in her throat. Hoggle was such a cynic. Even worse than her. “Nothing, as far as I can tell. I want to see the Labyrinth again. Will you come with me?”

He glanced at the gates and back. “I ain’t going in there. No how, no way.”

“Hoggle,” she wheedled. “Please? It’ll be perfectly safe. After all, there’s no reason for it to be dangerous if there’s no runner. Besides, I want you to tell me more about this place.”

Her beseeching look succeeded, as usual. “Oh, all right. Now don’t say I didn’t warn ya.”

“Can you show me parts I didn’t see last time?” she asked. 

“Sure,” he said gruffly. “Come on, then. So whatcha wanna know?”

“Everything!” she replied. “Who built this place? How long has it been here? Where did the goblins come from? What –”

“Okay, okay!” he yelled, cutting her off. “One question at a time, Sarah. That rat Jareth built this place. The Labyrinth was ‘is pet project, short after he became king.”

“Who was king before him?”

“Tons o’ guys. Goblin Kingdom’s not a popular one. They came and went ev’ry few years. Couldn’t handle it. No one wanted the job after the last king ‘cept for Jareth.”

“So he got the job?” she pressed when he fell silent.

“Yeah, he gots the job. Some say he’s only here as a favor for his da, but I knows better. He volunteered. Woulda come sooner, but his father thought he was too young ta be king. When no one else would do it, there was no choice.”

“Jareth’s father?”

Hoggle nodded. “Yeah. Jareth’s da is the High King, Oberon. Ye should know him from Aboveground stuff. He’s crown prince, heir to the throne an’ all that. Most don’t understand why he’s here, but he likes it well enough.”

“So why did he make the Labyrinth?” 

He sighed at her boatload of questions, directing her through one of the hidden openings in the long wall. They emerged into a large flower-strewn field. There were a lot of fairies, so they kept as far from the little biters as they could. 

“Says it’s fer the runners. Wishing away kids don’t matter much if ye just get ‘em back easy as can be. He’s got a point, though ye’d never catch me telling him. Took ages, it did, near a century. Jareth’s got him a right devious mind – even Fae have a tough time here. Took his da days ta make it through. Normal mazes, they’re no challenge ta someone with magic, so he gave the Labyrinth a life o’ its own. ‘S what makes it so tough, ya know?”

“It sounds little unfair for human runners,” Sarah observed. 

Hoggle shrugged. “That’s what the rest o’ us are here for, o’ course. Ta give hints and aid, if a runner’s smart enough ta look for it. Still, most won’t make it far as the oubliette. Ye were the first in a thousand years, and the only winner. Most don’t want their wished-away enough. Sad, but they’ll have good lives here.”

“What happens to the children?”

“When their runner loses, or don’t go at all? The kids are given ta families that can’t have their own. Sometimes if the kid has something particular nasty in their past, Jareth’ll turn them to a goblin.” She must’ve made a face, since he hastened to elaborate. “It’s better for ‘em, Sarah. Goblins may be a stupid bunch, but they’re happy and he takes good care of ‘em.”

“What about Toby? What would have happened if I –” Her throat was suddenly dry. “What would have happened if I had lost him?”

“Toby’s a right lucky one, little lady. Jareth meant ta keep him – he’d never lost before, see, so he didn’t realize he was about ta. Since Jareth’s High Prince, he can’t be Goblin King forever. He wanted Toby ta take over when ‘e had to go.”

They were standing on a cliff, looking out over what looked like a miniature ocean within the Labyrinth itself. Sarah had no idea how it fit inside the walls. “This place is beautiful. I mean, I’ve always known that, but this is amazing.”

The dwarf nodded. “This here is one of them places runners won’t usually see. No one comes this way, not in all the thousands o’ years the Labyrinth’s existed. Jareth loves coming here from time ta time.”

She considered. “Is Jareth a good king, Hoggle?”

“Yeah,” he replied gruffly. “Nothing I would say ta him, ye know, but ‘e is. Knows how ta get the goblins ta listen ta him, which is hard enough, but they genuinely like him. Ye gotta be pretty flexible ta deal with ‘em. Luckily, they respond well ta him, since ‘e can be hard when he has ta, but he can be fun too. I may not like the king, but I respect ‘im, which is more than I can say for the others.”

She didn’t speak for a while, taking in everything she’d learned. By the time they reached the water’s shores, she had more questions ready. “If I asked you what I asked him, would you know the answer?”

“Depends, don’t it,” he answered. “Needs ta know the question and all that.”

She took a seat in the sand, dipping her fingers into the cool water. “Do you remember when I asked you all those years ago if Jareth had been interfering in my life?”

“Yeah.” He sat himself down nearby and began examining his sack of jewels. Sarah noticed her bracelet was still around his wrist. “What about it?”

“Well, he was,” she admitted. “That was part of what I summoned him about. What I really wanted to know, though, was why I couldn’t be around a guy for more than a minute without him suddenly acting like I had the plague. Jareth didn’t deny it, but he said he couldn’t explain. That’s why he brought me here. He said I needed to learn some things before I was ready to know the answer.”

He nodded sagely. “Not a hard thing ta know, really. Didn’t ye pay any attention ta the things he said while ye were here the first time?”

“Not really,” she frowned. “I was focused on Toby and getting home. Why?”

He sighed. “Ye read that book a million times, girly. Ye should know already, but since ye don’t I’ll explain. 

“Jareth’s lonely, Sarah. Being High Prince ain’t all that. Most women only want him for his title – he’s had some say they’ll marry ‘im, but only if he abdicates the Goblin throne. He doesn’t want that, won’t give up so easy. He loves this place and what it means. Here, we don’t care if he’s High Prince – Fae titles don’t count for much in the Labyrinth. He enjoys not being focused on for that, and ‘e doesn’t much like politics. Most Fae won’t come here though. They hate this place, and the High Court visits all kingdoms now ‘n again but only came here once since Jareth’s been King.

“He knows it, knows why, but it don’t change much. He’s only the one of his kind here. Sure, he’ll visit other kingdoms from time ta time ta have some company, but he always comes home to a castle filled with goblins. Ye’re the one person Jareth really cares about outside his family. Do ye know how many times his da’s offered him another kingdom? He won’t take ‘em. He stays because it’s the Labyrinth that’s got the most contact with ye and yer world. That’s why he chases any other guy ‘way from ye. He’s only got you, and he won’t share.”

She leaned back, not caring that the sand would be stuck in her hair for a long time if she did. “Why would he care so much? I’m just an ordinary person.”

Hoggle snorted. “Do ye really believe that, girly? Jareth’s magic can only do so much, ye know. Ye would never have gotten as far as ye have without skill, e’en with his influencing things. After what happened last time, he thought he’d never see ye again, so he wanted ye to be happy in your world.”

“Did he think I would be happy alone?”

“No,” he admitted. “He knows ye need someone else, but that was one thing ‘e couldn’t give ye. He wants ye ta want ‘im, Sarah. He thinks it’s impossible, but ye must know by now how much ‘e watches ye. He couldn’t bear ta see ye with someone else. Is that the answer ye’ve been looking for?”

“He kissed me,” she said slowly. “When he first appeared tonight. Why would he do that if he’s given up?”

“Smart one, thinks on his feet. It was a way to show how he felt without risking so much a rejection as before.” Hoggle eyed his friend tiredly. “Ye hurts ‘im pretty badly. He was in awful shape after ye left.”

“I know,” she muttered, feeling guilty. “I think I knew then too, but I was so focused on Toby. I didn’t know that he would have been all right.”

“If ‘e had told ye, would you have been strong enough ta beat the Labyrinth?” the dwarf questioned. “Even at its worst?”

She considered, pushing her long hair out of her eyes. “I don’t know. Maybe. But the book said he’d make the baby ‘one of us’. I thought it meant they were turned into goblins. I didn’t want that for my brother.”

Hoggle let her sit quietly for a few moments before saying something else. “That answer yer question?”

“Maybe, but I think there’s more. I need to talk to the others, see some of the places from before so I’ll look at what happened from the proper perspective. Can we go to the tunnels?”

“With the false alarms? Sure, I guess. Ain’t too far from here.”

“I thought that the runners didn’t come this way very often,” she said, confused. 

“They don’t. Labyrinth changes, remember? Ye need ‘em, they’re nearby,” he explained. “Labyrinth likes ye, so it’s cooperating. Ye’re taking stuff for granted again.”

She shrugged. It was true, after all. “Lead on, then.”

They had already descended below the surface before he stopped and faced her. “Ye’re already queen here, ye know.”

She froze. “I’m what?”

“Queen,” he repeated. “Ye made yerself queen when ye declared yerself equal ta Jareth. That’s why the Labyrinth’ll talk ta ye. Goblins’ll obey ye too, if ye care ta try.”

She tried to process the new information, but wasn’t succeeding very well. “How can someone just make themselves queen?”

“I told ye,” he sighed in exasperation, continuing along the tunnel. “When ye called yerself his equal, when ye beat ‘im, it became true. Ye know what you say has power.”

“Right…” she said slowly. “I think I’ll just take your word for it. This is becoming a bit much to take in.”

“Oh, is it?” Hoggle and Sarah, just turning the last corner, froze at the new voice. It was at once familiar yet foreign, and Sarah thought it was very much like Jareth’s own.

It took a moment, but Hoggle’s eyes bugged out and he knelt in front of the tall Fae standing where Jareth once had as he taunted Sarah. “Yer Majesty!”

“Hedgewart.”

“Hoggle,” Sarah corrected automatically. “I’m sorry, but who are you?”

The Fae offered her a bemused smile. “My name is Oberon. I am Jareth’s father.”

Sarah’s eyes went wide and her mouth formed a perfect ‘O’ in surprise. “Your Majesty.”

She began to curtsey, but Oberon stopped her. “That is not necessary. I am not here as High King; I am here as a father. Titania wanted to come, but one of us needed to remain with the Court. I have been waiting a long time to meet you, Lady Sarah.”

She blushed. “Thank you, I think, though I’m not sure if you’ve heard anything good. Your son wasn’t particularly pleased with me last time we met.”

Oberon laughed slightly. “Jareth was always a willful boy, and he is unaccustomed to losing. Personally, I think you did him a world of good. But no, Sarah, he has not spoken ill of you. Higgle, would you be so kind as to alert my son to my presence? I will want to speak with him once I have my little chat with his charming lady.”

“Yes, Yer Majesty,” Hoggle said, bowing once more before trotting down the passage. 

The High King turned his attention to the young woman once more. “Jareth’s work does not do you justice,” he mused, pacing around her.

“His work?” she repeated. “I don’t understand.”

“His art,” the Fae explained. “Jareth is gifted in many forms, though oils are his preferred tool. He adores music too. He’s painted you many times.”

Sarah’s brow furrowed as she took in his words. “Why would he want to paint me?”

“Dear me, are you still of the opinion that you are nothing special? I had thought Hoggle would have explained by now.”

“You do know his name,” she accused. “Why didn’t you use it?”

His lips twitched. “One of the hobbies Jareth and I share, purposely twisting a name to annoy others. A bad habit, but it can be rather entertaining when ruling bores us for too long.” He leaned back against a wall, giving Sarah her first full view of the High King.

He looked like his son, she decided, but with light brown hair in a simple style instead of Jareth’s white blond extravagance. The eyes were the same color, but Oberon’s matched where Jareth’s didn’t. They were almost exactly the same in height and build, though Sarah would guess Jareth was about an inch taller and a bit thinner. Oberon was dressed very informally, without a crown or any other marking of rank. 

“Are you quite done with your perusal?” he said dryly. She jumped.

“I’m sorry,” she winced. “I didn’t mean to stare.”

He waved the apologies away. “Nothing to worry about, dear girl. I imagine it can be unnerving to see someone you had only read of previously. Tell me, did you look at my son the same way when he first appeared?”

She took a sudden interest in her moccasins and examined them earnestly. “I, um…”

“Father,” Jareth objected, striding into view. “Must you embarrass her?”

“Jareth!” Oberon said warmly in greeting. “Oh, I would not say I was attempting to embarrass the girl, precisely.”

“What else could you possibly call it?” she muttered darkly, then flushed when both Fae sent her identical smirks. 

Jareth chuckled. “Call it what you will, but she is here for a reason. We should allow her to continue her explorations. Come, join me in the castle.”

“I wanted to speak with her!” the High King protested as his son propelled him away. “She seems a delightful girl, if easily embarrassed.”

“Father,” Jareth sighed. “As you just said, she has met someone who previously only existed to her as words on a page, and you are teasing her. Anyone with sense would be embarrassed to some extent.”

“Oh, very well,” his father acquiesced. “I expect to be allowed to speak with her at length before the wedding.”

“Wedding?!” Sarah choked.

Jareth groaned and rejoined her for a moment. “Forgive my father. He is determined to see me marry soon since he and my mother would like to pass on the throne. Given your rank, it seems inevitable to him. Rest assured that I will not force you into anything you do not desire.”

“So Hoggle was right? I’m the Goblin Queen?”

“Yes,” he replied coolly. “Even if I were to leave to take my place in the High Court, the Goblin Kingdom would fall to you unless I dictated otherwise. Succession here was a simple matter before the Labyrinth was built, but now it chooses its own leaders. While you live, it is unlikely to accept another.”

She winced. “It’s been causing you some problems, hasn’t it?”

 

“A few. I enjoy this place more than I care for the High Court and its frivolities, precious. I just seem to be running out of time.” He allowed one hand to stroke her hair gently and brushed away the sand. She didn’t move to stop him. “My father is waiting for me, Sarah, and you still have things to learn. Remember, find me when you are ready.”

“I will,” she promised. He took the few steps to rejoin the elder Fae and offered one soft smile before they vanished, leaving her alone again. She turned, taking in the tunnels. 

It had been in that spot where Jareth was something other than an enemy to her, even if she hadn’t seen it. Yes, he had reacted cruelly, but she knew her folklore. Fae were complicated, and cruelty was natural to them. Since his reappearance, though, he had been so very kind…

She retraced her steps, finding the gate that had saved her from the cleaners, the ladder into the hedge maze. She took it once again, noticing it stood in good repair where previously it had been old and rickety. The lid had been left off the urn, so she climbed out unimpeded. 

She stood in the center of the courtyard for several minutes, staring toward the castle and taking in the beauty of his world. Twilight had fallen, but the stones of the Labyrinth glowed faintly, providing enough light to see by. She was beginning to consider moving on when the Wise Man shuffled into the area, settling himself on his chair of stone books. 

“Hello!” she greeted enthusiastically. “It’s nice to see you again.”

“What’s this?” he mumbled. “Oh, the lady!”

The hat laughed. “Sharp as ever!”

“Be quiet!” the old goblin snapped. Once the hat shut its beak, he stared at her. “What brings you here?”

“I’m looking for answers. Once you told me the way forward is the way back. I came back, but I still don’t know how to move forward. Can you help?”

He was already asleep. The hat looked down at its wearer before glancing back up at her. “He’s a fat lot of help, isn’t he?”

Her lips twitched. “Sometimes. Do you know?”

The hat shook its head. “Do what the king told you, I guess,” it suggested. “He knows better than this lump.”

“Do I owe you anything for the advice?” she asked. 

“No,” it answered. “You’re queen, right? Oh, nuts. Not supposed to mention that.”

Sarah laughed. “That’s all right; I’ve already been told. Thank you.”

“De nada, señorita!”

The hedge maze was quiet. Sarah wondered if she’d find Ludo nearby. She thought she would, since everyone else had been where she had seen them before. Sure enough, after turning a few more corners she saw him ambling in the opposite direction.

“Ludo!” she called. “Ludo!”

The great yeti turned slowly. “Sawah? Sawah friend!”

She gave him a big hug. “Yes, of course I’m your friend! It’s great to see you again, Ludo. How are you?”

“Ludo good. Sawah?”

“I’m fine,” she assured him. 

“Why Sawah here?” he asked ponderously. 

Sarah considered how to best explain things to the yeti. “I’m here to talk to the king.”

“King? Sawah King no friends.”

“We’re trying,” she said. “He wanted to talk to me. He let me come see you.”

“King friend now?”

“Maybe. Do you want to come see Sir Didymus and Ambrosious with me?”

He nodded. “Go see brother.”

The Labyrinth formed a path straight to Sir Didymus for her. Fortunately, he was away from the Bog of Eternal Stench. Sarah doubted there was anything in the Labyrinth she had hated quite as much as that, and she didn’t particularly want to go back. She’d nearly fallen in, too. 

The little knight kept a neat cottage just beyond the bog itself, and that was where the friends found him. Ambrosious was lying asleep in a patch of clover while Sir Didymus performed a series of stretches and lunges nearby. 

“Sir Didymus!”

He glanced up, nose twitching. “Sir Ludo! Lady Sarah! How art thou? What brings you here so unexpectedly, milady?”

She hugged him, pleased beyond words to be seeing the valiant fox. The mirror was nice, but it lacked the comfort of being face to face with her friends. “I’m fine. I came for a visit, and to talk to your king.”

“The king?” he repeated, curious. “I was under the impression that milady and King Jareth did not part on the best of terms. Might I be of any assistance?”

“It’s all right,” Sarah reassured him. “We’re not fighting or anything. He said I could wander around and visit, and then we would talk. There’s no trouble.”

“Are you quite sure?” the knight pressed. “I will aid milady regardless of the peril.”

“No trouble,” she repeated, laughing. “I swear. We just need to talk. Can you tell me anything about your king? Hoggle already gave me some information.”

Sir Didymus seated himself in the clover beside Ambrosious. Sarah and Ludo did the same. “I am certain Sir Hoggle has told you the story of our glorious leader. He has brought order to these lands, milady, though with great difficulty. The Goblin Kingdom is closer to the mortal realms than any others, which creates many problems. Mortals wish children away even without the help of the Book. The king frequently has to put an end to unauthorized excursions Aboveground. Only those with special permission are granted access. It is a wearying task, no doubt, and King Jareth is the only being in this realm with the power to control it. I know little beside that, save the king is unfailingly generous in providing for his people.”

I have been generous up till now, but I can be cruel…

And she had asked what he’d done that was generous. Thinking about it, Sarah wanted to take the words back. He had protected her while she had been in his world. What real peril had she encountered in the Labyrinth? Even then he had been doing anything within his power to make things go well for her. Had he wanted her to win?

“Did Jareth want me to win?” she asked. “Please, Sir Didymus, I need to know.”

The fox considered. “To my knowledge, my liege did not allow your success, though he did desire it. Only one who was equal to him could have conquered the maze regardless of his wishes. Surely milady is aware that our good king has watched you for a long time. He wanted you to be the one who succeeded where all others failed.”

“I thought he was trying to make me lose,” she admitted. “With the peach and his offer in the Escher room. I really believed he was trying to trick me.”

“Nay,” Sir Didymus disagreed. “Those things are sacred in this world. The king would not make such an offer lightly. Milady has also partaken of faerie food. There is a bond betwixt yourself and this world. To my mind, it is inevitable that you would have returned one day. May I enquire as to the reason of your appearance this fine evening?”

“The Goblin King has been interfering with my life,” Sarah explained. “I wanted to know why. He said there were things I needed to learn before he could tell me.”

“Have you learned what you needed to know?”

She thought carefully, turning words over and over in her mind. “I think… Yes, I think so. I need to find him.”

Sir Didymus gestured behind him as a path formed to the castle. “Then go, milady. I would offer my company, but I believe this is something best left between you and His Majesty. Fare thee well.”

Sarah walked the path with confusion roaring through her. So many things she had learned conflicted with the views she’d held since she was fifteen. Jareth was a kind king and the only one willing to care for the goblins. Was he cruel? Yes. He admitted as much. One couldn’t master a difficult land without that ability, but wasn’t she cruel too? She had spurned his honest words and not cared about his generosity. Could she condemn him for a trait they shared?

The Labyrinth seemed to brood in the back of her mind until finally breaking its silence. Do you understand yet?

She nodded absently. “I think I do, but I still need to talk with Jareth. Labyrinth? Who is Jareth? Not how he seems to others. What is he really like?”

Jareth is my creator, so I will always care for him. He is a good person, though he does not always display it. He is… lonely. He has lacked companionship for a long time. 

Sarah stared up at the castle. “Poor Jareth… How does he bear it?”

He focuses on his work. This kingdom has prospered with his attentions. It is not enough, but it is what he has.

“Thank you,” she sighed. “I need to talk with him. Will you let me leave if I decide that’s what I need to do?”

The Labyrinth hesitated. If you must… I cannot like it, but I will not force you to stay at this time. You are the Goblin Queen, though. If Jareth should be made to leave, you must take up that responsibility. 

“I understand. I appreciate what you’ve told me. Jareth doesn’t have long before he has to return to the High Court, does he?”

I do not believe so. King Oberon and Queen Titania grow weary of ruling, and so the burden falls to Jareth. Even if you should leave, it could not be for long. 

The Labyrinth’s voice faded as she entered the Goblin City. There were goblins all over and stalls surrounded the central plaza. She assumed it was market day. She reached out and stopped one of the littler ones. “Excuse me, but can you tell me what’s going on?”

It stared at her suspiciously. “You’s the lady. You shoulds knows.”

“I am afraid she is unaware,” Jareth said as he appeared. “Tell Lady Sarah, Twang.”

“Twig,” it muttered. “It be market time, Lady. We’s getting foods and stuffs. We does this every week, we does.”

Sarah’s lips twitched as it ran off. “Do you have to get their names wrong?”

“Perhaps,” he admitted with a toothy smirk. “It is entertaining, after all. I take it, judging by your presence here, that you were coming to speak with me.”

She nodded. “Is there anywhere more private?”

Jareth considered. “The throne room is strewn with drunken goblins as per usual, unfortunately. Perhaps my study or the library would do?”

“Library?” she repeated, curious. “You have a library?”

He laughed. “Indeed. I cannot spend all my time with my subjects, and I find reading a wonderful way to pass the rare hours in which I have no work demanding my attention. Do you want to see it?” He extended one hand to her.

She took it without thought. “That would be wonderful.”

A blink of the eye took them from the crowded city to a vast room. It was dusty, but someone had cared enough to amass the huge number of books she could see. Shelves rose to the ceiling more than fifty feet over her head, and numerous armchairs and sofas filled the space in the center. Several balconies ringed the room to make the volumes more accessible. 

By the time she finished gawking, Jareth had flung himself carelessly into one of the chairs. One leg hooked over the armrest while the other foot was on the floor, and he was tapping his boot with a riding crop again. Blushing, she took a seat on the sofa opposite him. 

“I believe you had questions,” he suggested. “By all means, ask away.”

“My original question was already answered,” she said. “I guess all there is left is to find out what comes next.”

His mismatched eyes locked with her. “I love you. No doubt this has become clear during your excursion. Still, what comes next is not my decision to make, is it, precious?”

She looked away, staring out the window at the star strewn sky. “I guess not, but I don’t know. What do you want?”

He gave a faint smile. “What I want should be obvious, Sarah. There is nothing I desire more than to have you by my side forever as my wife and queen.” He held up his hands as she began to say something. “Not so quickly, precious thing. I was not proposing just yet. There is a warning as well.”

“A warning?”

“I believe my subjects have mentioned that the Goblin Kingdom will not belong to me for much longer. To take my father’s place, I must be wed. I am running out of time. Until today, I did not believe you would summon me again and had resigned myself to a political marriage.”

“That’s terrible,” she murmured. Her heart ached for him. “How can you do that? How can you marry someone you don’t love? What would happen here?”

“I do not desire to marry someone I do not love. I have no choice. Though my father rarely exercises his power, he has ordered that I wed and I must obey. The Labyrinth and the rest of the kingdom would fall to you.”

“I don’t know how to rule,” Sarah said.

“Would you prefer the goblins fall under the control of one that neither understands nor cares? The Labyrinth has declared you its queen and will not accept another,” Jareth explained. “You have bound yourself to my world, Sarah, but I will not force you to be bound to me.”

“Force?” she repeated.

He nodded. “By our laws, I could. The Goblin Queen is supposed to be the mate of the king. You ate my peach. You danced with me. You are the only one who is my equal. I will not do so. If you decide of your own free will, so be it. Stay or leave as you choose.”

Silence reigned for several minutes as Sarah attempted to understand. Finally, she asked the only thing she still needed answered. “How long?”

“How long?” Jareth repeated.

“How long until I have to decide?’ she asked. “You can’t expect an answer now.”

He laughed softly. “No, I suppose I cannot. My engagement is to be announced in thirteen days. You will have until then to reach a conclusion. Would you prefer to remain here, or shall I return you to the mortal world?”

“I want to go back until I decide, but I have one more question. What happens if I decide not to marry you?”

He closed his eyes. “Should that be your choice, I will not influence your life again, nor have contact with you. I will also attempt to press the Labyrinth to accept a different ruler. You would have no contact with the Underground, for though I will not love my wife I will not force her to endure the presence of another woman.”

She nodded. “Send me back.”

A moment later, she was where she had been when he first appeared. Her head spun with the many things she had learned. She sank to the floor as tears welled up. Thirteen days to decide between returning to the Underground and marrying him or staying Above and losing magic altogether. She pressed her face to her knees and wept.

88888888

Sarah allowed several days to not think about it and push the decision from her mind. She needed to clear her head, but life Above had never seemed so mundane. Even her acting didn’t give her satisfaction. Frustrated, she chose not to accept a part in the upcoming performance, telling her manager she needed some time with her family. He understood, and she drove back to Massachusetts and the house she had grown up in. Eight days had already elapsed. 

Toby barreled into her when she arrived, chattering excitedly. Her father and stepmother greeted her warmly, and Irene added that dinner wouldn’t be long if she was hungry. She was, so she joined them for a fresh meal. The homemade lasagna comforted her more than anything she could have prepared herself. 

Her family was so happy to see her… Could she leave them? She had given everything up to save Toby. How could she abandon him?

Slowly, Sarah trudged upstairs and sprawled across the bed in her still-childish room. Toby dashed in not much later. 

“How was it?”

She sat up and stared at him. “What?”

“The Labyrinth. Did you have fun?” her little brother asked. 

Her mouth opened and closed several times before words came. “How – How did you know where I was?” she squeaked.

He gestured at the mirror behind them. “Hoggle told me. So how was it?”

She shook her head, trying to reorganize her thoughts. “I learned a lot.”

“What are you going to pick?”

Sarah’s eyes narrowed to slits. “Just how much did Hoggle tell you?”

“Everything,” Toby said with a shrug. “By the way, thanks for coming after me even though I drove you crazy. Are you going to marry Jareth?”

She resigned herself to the conversation. “I don’t know,” she sighed. “How can I just leave you? Leave everything?”

He stared at her, confused. “I’m only a mirror away. Really, Sare, it’s not as if you’d never see me again. Jareth promised I could go back to the Labyrinth if I wanted.”

“Toby!” she protested. “Would you really leave your entire world?!”

He shrugged. “I don’t belong here. There’s no magic. Don’t you feel the same way? This world isn’t right. The Underground has a way of getting to you, I guess. After we’d seen it, was there ever a chance of wanting to stay here? What would I do here? I can’t pretend not to believe in magic, and this world doesn’t understand that.”

She frowned and nodded. “I know. But what about Dad and Irene? Would you be okay with leaving them?”

“We don’t have to stay Underground all the time, Sare. I’ll visit them just like you do from New York. Have you even heard from your mom recently?”

“Not really,” she admitted. “She’s always so busy she wouldn’t notice if I left.”

“So why stay? You’re not happy. You only act because it’s a way to pretend there’s still magic in your life. You know you want to go back. I will, but I’ll wait till I’m older. Maybe someday we can tell Mom and Dad, but you should go before it’s been too long.”

Sarah yawned. “It’s late, Tobes, and I’m tired. Can I be alone to think? You need to get to bed too; you have school in the morning.”

Toby shrugged. “Good night, Sarah.”

He left, and she thought about just how mature he was for an eleven year old boy. Thoughts of the Labyrinth hounded her and she groaned, falling back against her pillows.

“How can I decide?” she asked the air. 

What did she have Above? Her career. Her family. An apartment she didn’t care about. No one else. There? A world she adored. Her best friends. Adventure. Magic. Him. It should be an easy decision, she thought, annoyed. There shouldn’t be a question. 

Images of Jareth paraded through her exhausted mind. The crystal ballroom. The tunnels. Her parents’ bedroom. The hill before the Labyrinth. The Escher room as the world fell down. Reappearing in her life. The tunnels again with his father. The Goblin City. The library. Sarah realized she could see every moment they had spent together with perfect clarity. 

Could she give that up? Not only him, but his entire world. She’d been drawn to it from the first moment her fingers touched the book. But still… Him. He loved her, and she’d already destroyed him once when he had given her everything. Generous. He’d always been generous with her. Could she repay him with cruelty again?

So many questions, she groused. She had no idea what the answers were. Was there a way to know? She stared at the mirror she’d used to contact her friends a thousand times, so tempted to call them, but she didn’t. They couldn’t help her with this.

A seemingly innocent crystal lay on the vanity table in front of the mirror. It’s a crystal, nothing more, but if you turn it this way and look into it, it will show you your dreams. What were her dreams? A note lay underneath.

Precious,

I know you are having a difficult time with your choice. Perhaps this will be of some assistance. I’m sure you remember how it works. And no, I have neither looked at nor changed your dreams in any way. Whatever you see shall be purely yours to know.

Jareth

Sarah read the note several times before she reached out to touch the crystal. It looked so ethereal, more like a soap bubble than a solid orb. She rested her fingers against the cool surface, waiting for something to happen. Nothing did, so she lifted it and held it at eye level. She rotated it as images began to blossom within its depths. 

It was the crystal ballroom and she and Jareth were dancing in its center. The leering audience from before was gone, though by the couple’s expressions they hadn’t noticed. They were too caught up in their dance and seemed happy beyond belief.

Another picture formed. Sarah and Jareth were in a café Above, arguing animatedly about something foolish and laughing all the while. Toby appeared with his parents and they greeted Jareth like an old friend.

Another turn. Another dream. Jareth and Sarah stood on a balcony gazing out over the Labyrinth. They held court over the goblins. They had a picnic in the park. A walk on the beach. Reading together. A unicorn ride. Sitting in front of a fire. Joining a faerie ring. Flying over the Goblin City. Sometimes there were others, but Jareth was always there. Aboveground, Under, it didn’t matter. It was always him. She wiped away tears she couldn’t remember crying. 

Could she really live without her family? She didn’t have to, Toby said. She could visit, and when Toby was ready to go to the Underground they could tell their parents the truth. Could she live without him? No, her heart cried. No, no, no. Too much time had passed already. She couldn’t stand the thought of a life without him.

And that was it. He mattered more than the world she had been born in. He loved her, and she… She had been in love with him her entire life. First the Goblin King of the book, then the real thing. She loved him. She could barely believe it, but she loved him. 

“Jareth?” she said slowly, then with more confidence. “Jareth?”

“Yes, precious?” 

Sarah twisted to see him seated on the edge of her bed. He looked the same as he had eight days ago. His white shirt, the black vest, the grey breeches, the tall black boots. She loved it. She loved him.

She threw herself against him as his arms surrounded her automatically. “I love you I love you I love you! Can we go home?”

His grip tightened. “Are you being completely honest, precious thing? If I take you with me, I shall never allow you to leave again.”

A thought occurred to her. “But you’ll stay young as I get old…”

Jareth chuckled against her hair. “No, Sarah. You will not. Humans are not suited to my world, so they will adapt. You will become a Fae as I am. You will not age.”

“What now?”

“You have a few days still if you need to set things in order here. I must return and keep my parents from announcing anything until you are ready,” he explained.

She tipped her head up to see his face. He looked so happy. When she’d summoned him a week ago, he’d seemed defeated. He’d kissed her like he thought it would be the last time he saw her. She took his face between her hands and pressed her lips to his in a slow, gentle caress. 

“I love you,” she said as she pulled back. “I’m sorry it took so long to understand.”

He ran his gloved hands through her hair. “And I love you as well. I should go, though.”

She shook her head. “I don’t need time. Just let me email my manager and leave a note for Toby.” She pulled a slender laptop from her overnight bag and flipped it open. 

John – 

This will probably be a surprise, but I’m leaving. I guess my love of acting finally wore off. Sorry for being so unbearable lately. Can you have my things sent to my parents’ house? Use my paycheck to cover the month’s rent and send the rest to my parents too, but leave a note with it saying the money is for Toby. 

It’s been great knowing you. Bye.

Sarah Williams

Having taken care of her more adult responsibilities, she then grabbed a piece of stationery from a box near the bed and popped open a pen. 

Toby –

You were right. I’m sorry I didn’t stay to tell you, but once I realized I just couldn’t stay. I’ll try to contact you through the mirror as soon as I’m settled. You can have any of my stuff you want. Dad and Irene can sell the rest. I don’t need it. I love you so much, and I’ll miss you.

Sarah

Jareth had waited somewhat impatiently and breathed a sigh of relief as Sarah folded the paper and wrote Toby’s name on the outside. “Do you have any belongings you wish to take?”

She shook her head. “I don’t think so. I just want to go home, Jareth. I’ve been gone for so long. One day wasn’t enough.”

He winced as an unpleasant thought occurred to him. “Sarah, precious, I am afraid we still have something to take care of at home. My father sent my, ah, bride-to-be to the castle just the other day. No doubt she will create trouble when she realizes she is being replaced.”

Sarah frowned. “How do we deal with her?”

Jareth gave a wolfish grin. “Correction, precious. How do you deal with her?”

88888888

Sarah and Jareth materialized in his throne room, which Sarah saw was far cleaner than it had been during her previous visit. It was also devoid of goblins. She glanced at him curiously.

“The Lady Madeleine does not care for my subjects,” the king explained dryly. “She banished them from the castle.”

Sarah examined her outfit. She’d chosen to have Jareth change her clothes into something more suitable. It seemed a variation on his formal armor, but while his was very male, hers made it amply clear she was a woman. There was an indigo and black gown with an armored bodice, and she also wore a miniaturized version of Jareth’s amulet. There were no sleeves, but she had a two inch thick chain mail cuff on each hand embedded with tiny crystals. Her dark hair had been pinned up elaborately, and she wore a long tattered black cloak. Through a thigh high slit in the gown, the tall boots that hugged the curve in her leg could be seen. 

“You look like a queen,” he assured her as he sprawled on his throne. “Shall I summon the lady for you, precious?”

“No need,” she grinned. “This will be fun.” She extended one hand and a delicate crystal orb formed in her palm. She threw it to the floor and as it shattered, a lovely Fae appeared.

“Jareth, darling,” Madeleine crooned as she brushed off her gown without looking up. “I did not expect to hear from you this evening.”

“I’m not Jareth,” Sarah said in a saccharine tone. “It’s lovely to meet you, my lady.”

The fine-boned blonde finally paid attention, and her eyes narrowed when she saw the other woman. “And who might you be, dear lady, since you know who I am?”

“It doesn’t matter,” she answered. “I’m just telling you to pack up and leave. Your betrothal is no longer required.”

Madeleine stared past Sarah at Jareth. “Darling, whatever is the meaning of this?”

“Don’t call him that,” Sarah snapped. “Get out. Now.”

“Jareth?”

He lifted one brow as he rolled a crystal between his hands. “You heard the queen.”

“Queen? I am afraid I do not understand,” the Fae argued, delicately waving a silk fan. “Surely you cannot have married. We are engaged.”

Sarah laughed. “You think so? Jareth has to marry me. Laws are laws, you know.”

The blonde glared. “Who are you to give orders?”

“I?” she asked innocently. “I’m the Goblin Queen, the Lady of the Labyrinth. Jareth’s fiancée. Now leave before I have you removed.”

“Lady of the Labyrinth?” Madeleine repeated. “No one has held that title but the girl. You could not be her.”

Sarah’s smile widened. “Really?” She touched the amulet at her throat. “I was only fifteen when I bested Jareth at his own game. The only one who ever won. My will is as strong as his and my kingdom is as great. I’m the Goblin Queen, and you have no power here. Go.”

Madeleine vanished with a squawk of protest and Jareth threw back his head and laughed. “This story will be all over the High Court by morning, though I cannot say I am sorry she is gone. She flatters my father and acts the angel in his presence, but really she is a true horror. I should thank you for ridding me of her.”

Sarah glared at him. “You could have helped, Goblin King. I felt like an idiot.”

“But Sarah, you were doing so well,” he said with a smirk. “What prompted you to use your right words? I recall a time when you could not seem to remember them.”

She grinned. “It seemed appropriate. I used those words to leave, so I used them to take my place back. How long do we have before this place is full of angry Fae protesting how I treated the little witch?”

“No doubt Madeleine’s family will appear at dawn. My father should be arriving later that day, perhaps with the rest of the Court to properly welcome the Goblin Queen.”

“Great,” Sarah muttered. “A little human against the entire Court. That’s not…”

“Fair? Precious thing, I would not be surprised if the Labyrinth deems it necessary to speed your transformation to Fae, though immortality will take time. She understands how the Court can be, though she does not care for fairness.”

Sarah got a sense of the Labyrinth agreeing. “How did I do magic so easily?”

He tapped his crop to his boot a few times. “You are the Goblin Queen. While I do not think you would be able to do so elsewhere while still human, you have power in this kingdom. Since your magic was not born with you, the Labyrinth gifted you with some of its instinctive control. That control will improve with the change, as will your abilities. However, I think we should consider retiring for the evening. Tomorrow will no doubt be an interesting day.”

The suggestion made sense, and Sarah abruptly realized how exhausted she was. “Great idea. Where to, then?”

Jareth’s lips twitched. “It would be unseemly to share quarters until we are wed. You may use the queen’s chamber, precious. I would prefer to keep you close during the change in the event of any difficulties.” 

She nodded. “Let’s get some sleep then. I’m half dead here.”

He rose and offered his arm, which she took without argument. A crystal crashed to the ground, taking them to Sarah’s room. She turned, taking it in. It was a large chamber, though that wasn’t a surprise. She had half expected pink, but instead the décor was in silver and varying shades of green. Her eyes fell on the bed and she wavered on her feet. He chuckled.

“While I understand your weariness, precious, it would be best if you did not sleep in your formal regalia. The wardrobe will have things to your measure.”

“Right,” she murmured, opening the doors and pulling out a nightgown. “Go ‘way.”

His laugh echoed through the spacious room as he vanished.

88888888

They weren’t so lucky as to be left alone until dawn. Morning was no more than a mere suggestion on the horizon when Jareth appeared at her bedside, shaking her awake.

“What?” she moaned. “It’s too early. Leave me alone.”

“Precious, as much as I would prefer not to wake you at such an unkind hour, you must get up. There are several irate nobles in my throne room demanding our presence.”

“No,” she groused, covering her head with a pillow. “Too early.”

“Sarah, do not force me to set the goblins on you,” Jareth frowned. “You cannot begin your first day as queen in such an undignified fashion.”

Sarah muttered a number of unkind things under her breath as she emerged from her warm and comfortable cocoon. “Fine. You win. I’m up.”

“Thank you. There are gowns in your wardrobe. I shall wait in my chambers until you are properly attired.”

Sarah formed a crystal and smashed it at her feet. “Done.”

“Or you could use your magic,” he drawled. “Does an early morning make you particularly lazy, precious?”

“You wanted me to hurry, and it’s not even morning yet,” she countered. “Is this good enough? Can we deal with the idiots so I can go back to sleep?”

“I will have to remember you can be very foul tempered upon waking,” he commented. “But yes, your garments are suitable.” He took her shoulders and examined her face carefully. “I see the Labyrinth did as I predicted.”

Of course, it said smugly in the background.

“It suits you,” he added.

Sarah wrinkled her nose. “What do you mean?”

“Look in the mirror, Sarah.”

She turned to face the grand mirror and gasped. Gone were human imperfections, the small things in her appearance she hadn’t liked. Instead, there were dark sweeps at the corners of her eyes just like Jareth’s. Her hair, which had been styled by the same magic that had changed her clothing, was pulled back to reveal the newly pointed tips of her ears. When she opened her mouth, it was easy to see that her canines were much sharper than before.

“I’m a Fae,” she murmured, staring at her reflection.

He smirked as he pressed a kiss to the back of her exposed neck. “It suits you, Sarah mine. You look beautiful.”

“We look good together,” she added. His fair hair contrasted nicely with her dark brown, and he decided she was exactly the right height for him. In the heeled boots she was wearing, they were at eye level with one another. 

Jareth offered her a crystal with a pointed smile. She took it, and it morphed to a delicate circlet. “For you.”

“I already have the pendant,” she remarked as he settled it in place. 

“Maybe so,” he replied, “but the pendant is a symbol of the Goblin Kingdom. This makes it clear that you will be the High Princess once we wed.”

Sarah stared at them in the mirror again. “I always dreamt of being a princess.”

“I know. Now you are a queen.”

88888888

By midday, Sarah could tell Jareth’s patience was wearing thin. Madeleine’s family was making a huge fuss, and Oberon had only appeared for a moment to greet Sarah officially. 

“As High Prince, you are duty bound to marry a Fae lady,” Madeleine’s father argued. 

“I am marrying a Fae lady,” Jareth said through gritted teeth. “Both the High King and the Labyrinth have approved of Lady Sarah. The matter is settled, and you would do well to remember your place.”

A sense of strong magic rippled through the kingdom, and Sarah and Jareth both felt it. The Labyrinth told Sarah it was a pending summons, and Jareth’s temper grew further. Sarah winced; the poor wisher would be lucky not to run into the Bog or Cleaners straight away with Jareth so riled. He would be cruel. She laid a hand on his arm.

“I’ll take care of it,” she told him softly. 

His eyes darted to her and back to the arrogant Lord Allan in front of him. “You have never done this before.”

Sarah shrugged. “I know how it goes. Get rid of the peanut gallery while I’m gone.”

“I wish the goblins would come and take you away, right now!”

Jareth sighed. “Go. We cannot have visitors during a run regardless.”

She nodded and vanished, and he turned his glare back on the interloper. 

I don’t like him, the Labyrinth said mulishly. Or his daughter.

Jareth barely smothered an evil chuckle. Don’t worry; he’ll be gone soon. He certainly wouldn’t be informing Sarah of the method, though.

88888888

Sarah at least remembered to don the Goblin Queen’s regalia before she appeared in front of the wisher. She stood there waiting, arms crossed. The storm tossed her cloak around her. 

“Who are you?” the frightened young woman asked. The Labyrinth told her the woman’s name was Anna, and that she had wished away her daughter Lizzie. “Where’s my little girl?”

“You know very well where she is,” she replied, mimicking Jareth’s casual attitude. 

Anna’s eyes darted around. “You have her, don’t you? Give her back, please!”

Sarah noticed a large bruise darkening her cheek and wondered if the child was in a similar state. “Anna, go on with your life. Forget about the baby.”

“I can’t!” the mother wailed. “Can’t you please just bring her back?”

“I have brought you a gift,” Sarah said dramatically, creating a crystal and holding it in front of the other’s mesmerized eyes. “It’s a crystal, nothing more… but if you turn it this way, it will show you your dreams. Do you want it? Then forget about the baby.”

“But I have to have my daughter back!”

She sighed and stepped back, revealing the Labyrinth in the open window. “She’s there, in the castle. Do you still want to look for her?” And they were on the windswept hill under orange skies, staring down at the colossal maze.

“That’s the place from the book, isn’t it?” Anna whispered. Sarah looked between worlds and saw a copy of Labyrinth lying on the child’s bed. “That’s the Labyrinth and the castle beyond the Goblin City.”

“You have thirteen hours in which to solve the Labyrinth,” the queen explained, “before your baby girl is one of us, forever. Such a pity.” And she vanished, returning to the throne room as the trembling woman took her first steps in a different world. 

88888888

Sarah was ready to collapse from exhaustion as she returned and glanced around to ensure there were no overbearing lords shouting unreasonable things. To her joy, there were none. Instead, the goblins clambered over one another to reach the toddler in the center of the room while Jareth massaged his temples on his throne.

Slowly, his blue eyes opened and fixed on her. “Did it go well?” he asked, standing.

She nodded nervously. “I think so. It was harder than I thought. Is Lizzie all right? Her mom had a big bruise across her face.”

“She is now,” he replied, rising to stand behind her and pull her into his embrace. “She was in a poor state when she arrived. The goblins were quite concerned. I took her and undid the harm. Now little Lizzie is a picture of health. 

“She won’t make it,” Sarah sighed. “Anna is already exhausted and hurt. Even though she just read the book, she won’t have the strength to reach the castle. 

Jareth formed a crystal and peered into it. “No, I do not believe she will. Perhaps if she had been in good health and spirits, she might have proved a worthy challenger. I will be shocked if she reaches the oubliette.”

“Did you get rid of Madeleine’s family?”

“I did indeed.” With a deep exhalation, he fell back into his throne, taking Sarah with him. She found herself seated on his lap and held tightly in place. 

“Is this going to be our life?” Sarah asked. “Dealing with crazed Fae that are mad I kicked out the simpering blonde and taking care of random children?”

“I am afraid so. Does this bother you?”

She considered. “Nope. It’s perfect.”


End file.
